'Jumanji' Sequel's Surprising Connection To Robin Williams Revealed

06/19/2017 11:34 am EDT

Jumanji is returning to theaters this December, with Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson leading an all-star cast in the anticipated sequel.

Being that it is a sequel, and not a reboot, fans have been wondering how it will connect to the original movie. More importantly, they have wondered how the film will tie into the character of Alan Parrish, played by the late Robin Williams.

Fortunately, Jack Black, co-star of the upcoming film, revealed exactly how the two movies would connect. While speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Black stated that Williams' character really laid the groundwork for this new adventure.

"We're exploring this jungle and trying to conquer the game; it's life or death, but while we're there, we find clues left behind by (Robin Williams' character Alan Parrish). He built up a full-blown jungle house, similar to a Swiss Family Robinson situation. It's like he's there helping us without actually being there."

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If you remember the original movie, this makes quite a bit of sense. Alan was sucked into the Jumanji board game as a kid, and reappeared when the game was opened again, some 20 years later.

During that time, Alan had been living in the jungle that existed within the game's world. According to this quote, he had made an entire life for himself in there, as well as a tree house that would make many kids jealous.

By taking place entirely in the jungle, it sounds like this sequel will be vastly different from the original. However, the Jake Kasdan film will at least have this connection to Jumanji to sustain the fans.

Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle stars Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan and Nick Jonas. It's set to hit theaters on December 22, 2017.

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